Rolling Stone magazine worships at the altar of President Barack Obama. So the magazine’s writers apparently assume a musical legend like Bob Dylan does the same.
Not quite.
The magazine’s latest edition interviews Dylan in connection to the singer’s newest album, “Tempest.” It’s the perfect excuse to wring an Obama endorsement out of the folk icon.
Dylan wasn’t biting, to put it bluntly, particularly after the singer/songwriter discussed slavery’s lasting legacy on America.
This gives Gilmore his hook: didn’t Obama change all that? And isn’t it so that people who don’t like him don’t like him because of race? Gilmore takes five different swings at getting Dylan to agree. Some of Dylan’s responses: “They did the same thing to Bush, didn’t they? They did the same thing to Clinton, too, and Jimmy Carter before that….Eisenhower was accused of being un-American. And wasn’t Nixon a socialist? Look what he did in China. They’ll say bad things about the next guy too.” On Gilmore’s fourth attempt, Dylan just resorts to: “Do you want me to repeat what I just said, word for word? What are you talking about? People loved the guy when he was elected. So what are we talking about? People changing their minds?”
Dylan isn’t quite done mentally undressing his interrogator.
“Would you like to see him re-elected?” Bob: I’ve lived through a lot of presidents. You have too! Some are re-elected and some aren’t. Being re-elected isn’t the mark of a great president.”